The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1887-06-02
WOMEN AT THE POLLS,
How the Fair Ones of Washington Terri
tory Cast Their Ballots.

WALLA-WALLA; May 24.-AlthouGh q
tenderfoot and acquainted with few in
our vicinity, was appointed Judge of
election In Mica precinct. A struggle
was in prrgress betwixt rival towns Tor
the county seat, and runners had been
through the precincts urging everybody
to bring out the votes of the ladies. In
this chivalrous region our women have
equal prerOgatives with men, although
they view the ballot with an Indifference
agonizing to all advocates of suffrage
l went early to tho polls, O small, log
school house in the hills, shadowed by
lofty pines. A rough wagon road ran
by the school house, wherein deer tracks
were quito as common as footprints Of
| horses.
The ladies were not early at the polls.
A little before noon came o fl mily
party, man wife and three children.
Soon after, from every direction, as if
by preconcerted arrangement, wagons
drove up containing similar households.
Not only were oil the little ones brought
along, but enormous jugs of milk and
baskets of lunch. The bachelors scat
tered timidly and the ladies swarmed in
upon us, moved the benches around the
fire, blockaded the doorway, and took
entire possession of the premises. They
were farmers wives, buxom, sensible
and energetic. A moro domestic scene
one seldom secs. Here O mother nursing
her baby, there fond father trolling his
infant daughter, yonder q knot of women
exchanging recipes for mixed pickles,
and again an eager group setting out
lunch and passing pie and sliced pork
to their friends.
L could not at first understand this in
vasion, until L learned that the school
house was the one public resort for
social purposes Dances, parties, sing
ing schools, preaching and political
meetings oil were held here. A gather
ing at the school house was the signal
for general assemblage of friends, and
the women had evidently given more
thought to this fact than to the original
motive of the occasion.
Still they came. BY noon the build
ing was fairly packed, and the picnic
appearance increased with every arrival.
eff you iron ginghams and calicoes on
the wrong side they look
ellis very best COW. The snow was
deep, and all the poor thing got to eat
was moss
"They say her vituals taste of pine
gum half the time. Drops from the
pitch rafters"-
'I pulled the poor child's tooth my
self, so"-
"Who shall you vote for, Sue?"
"Me? L don't know. Jack amt hero
yet"
Mamma, give mo some pie, too"
ooh, Eliza, at the polls after ALP"
eyes. Didn't want to come bit. Bill
is Republican and / told him I'd vote
Democratic sure if he made mo como.
But he said no matter, SO long as we both
vote for Spokane Falls"
"Pooh! L guess we're every bit as sharp
as the men folks"
"Don't vote for Spicer. They say he
treats his wife perfectly awful"
81 tell you, times has changed!" COM
mented q man in blouse and overalls
leaning against pine. "When l was
boy, to home in Indianny, L recoIlect
hearin' NAV and paw talk this votin'
business over. Il tell ye, says the old
man to her, Il wouldn't have ye go to
tho polls nohow. You'd have to walk
up to the box through crowd of loaf
ers, all smokin' pipes and starin' at ye,
and loud sink through the floor He
orto be here now"
But at last, after lunch was eaten and
put away, and the babies had had their
|
gossip, general movement was made
toward departure. 1t was long way
home, and the COWS to milk, and water
to draw, and supper to get, and the
breakfast dishes to wash at the heels of
all.
After such festival one might sup
pose the ladies would vote cheerily, but
this was not the case. 1t had been post
poned as long as possible and now that
1t must actually be done they went at it
spitefully.
Here was o husband handing rival
tickets to his wife and saying for
the public ear, "You can vote whichever
you like" at the same time gripping his
own ballot with O resolute air and q jaw
OF such outline as made one hope his
spouse would vote as he did, in the in
terests Of domestic peace. There q dame
WAS lmperatiyoly thrusting on her hus-
band the prohibition ticket.
These prohibition ladies were earnest
and intelligent. They advanced firmly
to the polls and gave in their ballots
with an air of satisfaction. Beyond these
few who had a definite personal purpose
the voting was perfunctory and done
with manifest dislike. The ladies each
handed their ballot to the inspector hest
tatingly, watched curiously as he put it
in the box and turned away with q toss
Of the head.
"rhere! It's the first time 1 ever
voted, and it'll be the lastm
81 hope Spokane Falls gets the cour
ty seat so we can stay home next time. u
Young men must be growing weak
minded when you drag an old lady like
me out to vote. I'm 70 years old. Old
enough to know bettorp
And with contemptuous air the DANES
retired to the wagons. Alasl The per-
versity of nature! While many of their
sisters in tho east sigh for suffrage those
who have it hold it in disdain.
Now came young Tyndall and his wife
on horseback, and there was quite stir
among the ladies who still in the wagons
and the "baches" around tho trees
Iyndall had purchased the oldest and
largest ranch in tho precinct and had
brought bride from Sap francisco
| several months hafDro E,,, l,1 aoo,,